God Hears Our Cries

"Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the fish's belly. ² And he said: "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, and He answered me. "Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice."

Jonah 2:1-2

The way God redeems affliction to lead people to seek God is a common theme lately in my Bible reading and study.  Jonah went from sleeping in the belly of a ship to crying out to God in the belly of a great fish.  The belly of the fish was nothing like the comical pictures in children's Bibles complete with a bed and table but a terrifying mixture of absolute darkness, stench, pressure, and inescapable heat.  Strangled by weeds, sweating in discomfort, and gasping for foul air, Jonah had discovered and was trapped in a living hell.

It was in the belly of the beast we read of Jonah praying to God for the first time as a result of his affliction.  He cried unto the LORD and was heard by the God who is gracious, merciful, compassionate, and delights to save.  In the darkness Jonah sought the LORD and his faith was buoyed.  Though he had been in the fish for days, he was convinced somehow, someway he would be released from the prison of flesh.  He said in Jonah 2:8-9, "Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. ⁹ But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD."  The idols of the sailors were incapable of salvation, but God who caused the wind to blow and the sea to rage could silence them.  The God who prepared the fish to swallow Jonah could release him at God's command.  God spoke to the fish and Jonah was vomited upon dry land. (Jonah 2:10)

On a side note, I never considered the large fish likely needed to beach itself to vomit Jonah onto dry land.  It may have provided the first decent view Jonah had of the great fish God prepared to swallow him.  I wonder if the fish just laid there and expired on the sand as Jonah watched, or if it slowly inched back into the water and swam off.  Based upon what happened next in the book I don't believe Jonah would have helped the creature but preferred to sit down to watch it die.  But the dying fish is a great picture of how God will someday destroy Sheol and Death and throw them into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14).

In the darkness Jonah's eyes turned to God, the light of his salvation.  He was granted divine insight:  "Salvation is of the LORD."  How good it is to remember this in our affliction.  When things are prosperous we can forget about God, and when circumstances are hard we work frantically to change them.  But we are in the midst of affliction and there is no hope, eyes of faith seek the LORD.  We ask God to bless us, and there in the belly of a great fish was such a man:  he had an audience with the living God and realised "Salvation is of the LORD."  For days he choked and struggled within that living furnace and in due time God opened Jonah's eyes to the truth.  Praise the LORD He sees our affliction, hears our prayers, and answers with salvation.

A Personal Turn

Humans have a tendency to take things personally.  This leaning impacts our judgments and how we connect causes and effects with people.  For instance, when my child misbehaves in a public setting I might feel embarrassment or that his conduct reflects poorly upon me as a parent.  Since I take personally the responses of my child to discipline or am sensitive to the opinions of others, when I notice other people's kids misbehaving or throwing a tantrum what might I do?  Without thinking I put the same burden on other children as an honest reflection of their parents.  Our personal investment causes us to take things personally, good and bad.  Situations which have little or no bearing on us we have an ability to turn personal and speak presumptuously.

In the last couple weeks I heard of cases of a well-known Christian author and music writer who have publicly announced they have either left the Christian faith or are "losing" faith.  These sorts of stories are often circulated on websites and social media, and observing the response of readers has been interesting.  The vast amount of responses I have seen concerning the musician and song writer of a popular church have "made it personal," attributing the song writer's lost faith to the alleged watering-down of the scripture in teaching at the church he attends.  Perhaps people who are intimately acquainted with the church feel entitled to offer this opinion.  But from the outside it is nothing more than seeing bad behaviour in a child and blaming the parents for lack of discipline.  Could there be a connection?  Possibly.  At the same time among my online acquaintances there was no outcry against the church of the famous author who is now without faith:  he alone was the primary focus.

We must be very careful to avoid rushing to judgment in these matters, and even better not to judge at all.  If these ministers of God can drift from Him to a place of doubting, we who think we stand should take heed lest we fall.  Since only God fully knows the hearts of men, we risk wading into the error of speaking presumptuously concerning straying brothers or sisters.  Should we blame others for their own personal wrestling, doubts, and unbelief?  Can we blame parents, pastors, or church body for wayward children who do what is right in their own eyes?  That is like blaming a parent for their adult son's STI who moved away from home years ago.  On the flip side there are many godly young people whose parents are totally hostile and opposed to the things of God:  should we credit heathen parents for their child's desire and love for God?  Give credit to where credit is due, and only God is worthy.  To use the behaviour of children to discredit parents or the foibles of parents to slander their children is folly because each stand before the righteous God and Judge.

This morning I read the first chapter of Jonah and I find the provision, grace, and salvation of God towards this wayward prophet most encouraging.  The word of the LORD came to Jonah, but Jonah went his own way:  down to Joppa, down into the ship, and finally down into the belly of the great fish God had prepared.  Parents have been guilty of writing off their own children for their shameful conduct, but God didn't disown Jonah.  In fact, God determined to use Jonah to save the men on the ship, to deliver the wicked Ninevites from destruction, and to provide a sign to point to Jesus Christ as God and Saviour.  Matthew 12:38-41 reads, "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You." ³⁹ But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."

God didn't distance Himself from Jonah as if he reflected poorly upon His lordship.  Jonah was not an effective preacher because of years of study or cross-cultural missionary training but by the grace of God which was a sign that pointed to Jesus Christ the Saviour.  Jonah didn't head to Joppa because of bad parenting, nor did he determine to avoid Nineveh because his synagogue watered-down doctrine.  It's true parents make mistakes and the Word of God is not always handled honestly in pulpits, but the point of this post is this:  let us avoid speaking presumptuously about why the author of a book sold in Christian bookshops walked away from the faith or a worship pastor gives place to doubt.  Only God knows exactly what is at work behind the scenes and in their hearts and ours.  Instead of piling on or stoking flames of gossip we ought to show compassion and pray for those who are deceived, lost, or erring.  We ought to remember Jonah and how God used Him as a sign to unbelievers so people would believe and come to salvation through Jesus Christ.  Should people walk away from Christ it is easy to take it personally, but we don't have to:  they have turned from Christ, not us.

Names of the Holy Spirit

I found a pleasant surprise in a book called Bible Word Search by William C. Gordon.  I'm not a big "word search"enthusiast, but it was the content which I found more compelling than the puzzle.  One of the word searches was a list of names of the Holy Spirit.  Gordon wrote, "The third person of the Trinity is referred to by many different names, both in the Old and the New Testament."  In case you are curious, here is list from those provided:

• Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15)
• Spirit of burning and judgment (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9)
• Spirit of counsel, knowledge, might, and understanding (Isaiah 11:2)
• Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13)
• Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20)
• Spirit of glory (1 Peter 4:14)
• Spirit of God (Genesis 1:2)
• Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29)
• Spirit of holiness (Romans 1:4)
• Spirit of life (Romans 8:2)
• Spirit of love (2 Timothy 1:7)
• Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13)
• Spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10)
• Spirit of revelation and wisdom (Ephesians 1:17)
• Spirit of supplication (Zechariah 12:10)
• Spirit of truth (John 14:17)

The names of God reveal much about Him, and these names are all consistent with the revealed character and nature of God in His Word.  Though the word "trinity" does not appear within the pages of scripture, it is consistently affirmed by these and many other passages.  The claim of Jesus Christ to deity was one touted often by His enemies who slandered Him as being demon possessed.  It seems fitting to sign off with 2 Corinthians 13:14:  "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen."

The Humble Heart Repents

"Bad company corrupts good habits," the scripture says, and an example of this is seen in the life of David.  David was a man after God's own heart, but he still was not impervious to the influences around him.  Though David did make mistakes as all men do, I admire how he received correction and did not repeat the same error.

David had fled from his king and father-in-law Saul with 400 men who gathered themselves to him.  An organised band of this size could basically do what they wanted without reprisal, but they were honourable according to David's commands.  In the land of Judah they protected the sheep of a wealthy man named Nabal, and being in great need humbly asked for help.  Nabal answered the delegation David sent roughly with contempt.  He would provide no food but spouted insults.

Upon hearing what Nabal said, David told his men to gird on their swords and prepare for a fight.  His plan was to go up to Nabal's house, take what he desired by force, and kill all males by dawn.  1 Samuel 25:21-22 reads, "Now David had said, "Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light."  As David approached Nabal's home, he was fuming.  He spoke of himself in third person, his angry complaints sprinkled with the personal pronouns "I" and "me."  He was deeply offended and reacted a lot like his father-in-law King Saul.

The words of David were similar to what Saul spoke concerning the Philistines in 1 Samuel 14:24:  "And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, "Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies." So none of the people tasted food."  The self-focus seen in Saul was reflected in David.  But David's heart was not like Saul's:  Saul would not repent at the rebuke of the prophet Samuel, but David repented at the correction of Nabal's wife Abigail.  1 Samuel 25:32-33 says, "Then David said to Abigail: "Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! ³³ And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand."  Though Saul and David sinned by selfish motives and pride, Saul brought a curse but David repented with blessings.

Here is the difference between a proud heart and one that is after God's own heart.  The proud heart justifies itself and seeks honour before men, yet the heart which honours God is humble and responds gladly to correction--even when it is before hundreds of people.  Praise the LORD for giving those who trust Him a new heart which responds to correction and delights in God's wisdom.